Garter Shaped Hat

Garter Shaped Hat by Martha Myers

What Is Being Made

The Garter Shaped Hat is a striped knit hat designed by Martha Myers that offers versatile styling options. This pattern includes instructions for eight different sizes, ranging from Preemie (11" circumference) through X-Large (27" circumference), making it suitable for newborns, babies, toddlers, children, and adults. The hat features generous depth that allows you to customize the fit for either a traditional brim style or a slouchy aesthetic, depending on your preference and the number of stitches you cast on.

Techniques Used

This hat is constructed using a sideways knitting method, which means you work horizontally across the hat rather than in traditional top-down or bottom-up rounds. The pattern employs short rows to create shaping without increasing or decreasing stitches in the traditional manner. Short rows allow you to add depth to specific sections of the hat by working back and forth over a subset of stitches before returning to work across all stitches again.

The pattern includes detailed instructions for two important finishing techniques: Provisional Crochet Cast On, which allows you to pick up live stitches later for seamless construction, and Grafting using Kitchener stitch over garter stitch, which creates an invisible seam when joining two pieces of knitted fabric together.

Stitches Used

Garter stitch is the primary stitch throughout this hat. Garter stitch is created by knitting every row (whether working flat or in the round), producing a textured, bumpy fabric with excellent stretch and recovery. According to the pattern, garter stitch provides stretch comparable to rib stitch without requiring any purl stitches, making it ideal for a beginner-friendly project. The striped colorwork is achieved by changing yarn colors at regular intervals while maintaining the garter stitch structure.

Materials and Specifications

Yarn: Worsted weight yarn is used for this project. The yardage requirements vary by size: Preemie requires 20 yards per color, Newborn requires 35 yards per color, Baby requires 50 yards per color, Toddler requires 70 yards per color, Child requires 100 yards per color, Adult Small requires 150 yards per color, Medium requires 190 yards per color, Large requires 200 yards per color, and X-Large requires 210 yards per color. An additional 30 yards of yarn is needed for the pompom.

Needles and Tools: US 7 (4.5 mm) knitting needles are required for working with worsted weight yarn. The pattern also calls for a crochet hook in a similar size to the needles (approximately 4.5 mm) for the provisional cast on. You will need at least one locking stitch marker to hold stitches during the short row shaping process, a long piece of waste yarn for the provisional cast on, and a crochet hook for the finishing techniques.

Gauge: The pattern is worked at a gauge of 20 stitches and 40 rows over 4 inches (10 centimeters) in garter stitch. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for the hat to fit properly across all the size options provided.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as beginner-friendly, making it an excellent choice for knitters who are new to hat construction. While the sideways construction and short row shaping may be new techniques for some beginners, the pattern provides comprehensive written instructions and the use of garter stitch—a simple knit-every-row technique—keeps the stitch work accessible. The detailed guidance on provisional cast on and Kitchener stitch grafting supports knitters in mastering these valuable finishing skills.